2014–15 Akron Zips men's basketball team
The 2014–15 Akron Zips men's basketball team represented the University of Akron during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Zips, led by 11th year head coach Keith Dambrot, played their home games at the James A. Rhodes Arena as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 21–14, 9–9 in MAC play to finish in fourth place in the East Division. They advanced to the semifinals of the MAC tournament where they lost to Buffalo. Despite having 21 wins, they were not invited to a postseason tournament.
| 2014–15 Akron Zips men's basketball | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Mid-American Conference | 
| East Division | |
| Record | 21–14 (9–9 MAC) | 
| Head coach | 
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| Assistant coaches | 
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| Home arena | James A. Rhodes Arena | 
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffalo † | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 13 | – | 19 | .406 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 10 | – | 20 | .333 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 12 | – | 6 | .667 | 23 | – | 9 | .719 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 20 | – | 13 | .606 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 20 | – | 14 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 21 | – | 14 | .600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 14 | – | 16 | .467 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ball State | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 7 | – | 23 | .233 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2015 MAC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Previous season
    
The Zips finished the season 21–13, 12–6 in MAC play to finish in second place in the East Division. They advanced to the semifinals of the MAC tournament where they lost to Western Michigan. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to IPFW.
Off season
    
    Departures
    
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Harney | 10 | F | 6'8" | 210 | Senior | Cleveland, OH | Graduated | 
| Carmelo Betancourt | 12 | G | 5'11" | 182 | Sophomore | Río Piedras, PR | Transferred | 
| Quincy Diggs | 13 | F | 6'6" | 209 | Senior | Dallas, TX | Graduated | 
| Darius Hoisten | 30 | G | 6'5" | 180 | Sophomore | Akron, OH | Transferred to Georgia Southwestern | 
Recruiting class of 2014
    
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Robotham  G  | 
Las Vegas, NV | Bishop Gorman High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | May 19, 2014 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 67 | ||||||
| Luke Meyer  PF  | 
Addison, MI | Addison High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Dec 2, 2014 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
| Jimond Ivey  G  | 
Cleveland, OH | Glenville High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | N/A | Feb 15, 2014 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
| Antino Jackson  G  | 
Houston, TX | Cypress Springs High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | Apr 13, 2014 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
 Sources: 
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Recruiting class of 2015
    
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Williams  SG  | 
Akron, OH | St. Vincent-St. Mary High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 7, 2013 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 | ||||||
| Peter Agba  PF  | 
Greensboro, NC | Greensboro Day School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Sep 22, 2014 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
 Sources: 
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Roster
    
| 2014–15 Akron Zips men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | 
 
 
 
 
 
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Schedule and results
    
| Date time, TV  | 
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance)  city, state  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| 11/10/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Rochester College | W 55–42 | James A. Rhodes Arena (2,899) Akron, OH  | ||||||||
| Non-conference games | |||||||||||
| 11/14/2014* 8:00 pm  | 
UMBC | W 74–57 | 1–0 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,039) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 11/20/2014* 12:30 pm, ESPN3  | 
vs. USC  Charleston Classic quarterfinals  | 
W 66–46 | 2–0 | 
TD Arena (1,131) Charleston, SC  | |||||||
| 11/21/2014* 2:30 pm, ESPNU  | 
vs. Miami (FL)  Charleston Classic semifinals  | 
L 51–79 | 2–1 | 
TD Arena (855) Charleston, SC  | |||||||
| 11/23/2014* 6:30 pm, ESPNU  | 
vs. South Carolina  Charleston Classic 3rd place game  | 
W 68–63 | 3–1 | 
TD Arena (1,523) Charleston, SC  | |||||||
| 11/25/2014* 7:30 pm, ESPN3  | 
at Penn State | L 72–78 | 3–2 | 
Bryce Jordan Center (6,703) University Park, PA  | |||||||
| 11/30/2014* 5:00 pm  | 
Bryant | W 72–66 | 4–2 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,486) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 12/02/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Arkansas–Pine Bluff | W 81–60 | 5–2 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,378) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 12/04/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Western Illinois | W 73–49 | 6–2 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,523) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 12/13/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Middle Tennessee | L 61–62 | 6–3 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,714) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 12/16/2014* 8:00 pm  | 
at North Dakota State | L 46–55 | 6–4 | 
Scheels Arena (1,129) Fargo, ND  | |||||||
| 12/20/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Bluffton | W 92–53 | 7–4 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,156) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 12/30/2014* 7:00 pm  | 
Marshall | W 70–63 | 8–4 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,937) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 01/03/2015* 7:00 pm  | 
Coppin State | W 79–62 | 9–4 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,907) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| Conference games | |||||||||||
| 01/06/2015 7:00 pm  | 
Western Michigan | W 72–52 | 10–4 (1–0) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,741) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 01/09/2015 7:00 pm, ESPNU  | 
at Toledo | L 67–84 | 10–5 (1–1) | 
Savage Arena (5,509) Toledo, OH  | |||||||
| 01/14/2015 7:00 pm  | 
Bowling Green | W 67–50 | 11–5 (2–1) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,313) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 01/17/2015 7:00 pm  | 
Central Michigan | W 82–76 | 12–5 (3–1) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,513) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 01/21/2015 8:00 pm  | 
at Northern Illinois | L 61–64 | 12–6 (3–2) | 
Convocation Center (957) DeKalb, IL  | |||||||
| 01/24/2015 2:00 pm  | 
at Western Michigan | W 71–69 | 13–6 (4–2) | 
University Arena (3,837) Kalamazoo, MI  | |||||||
| 01/27/2015 7:00 pm  | 
Ball State | W 59–47 | 14–6 (5–2) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,375) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 01/31/2015 7:00 pm  | 
at Bowling Green | W 69–68 | 15–6 (6–2) | 
Stroh Center (2,624) Bowling Green, OH  | |||||||
| 02/04/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
at Ohio | L 82–83 | 15–7 (6–3) | 
Convocation Center (7,640) Athens, OH  | |||||||
| 02/07/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
Buffalo | W 75–72 | 16–7 (7–3) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,570) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 02/10/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
Kent State  PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge  | 
W 61–52 | 17–7 (8–3) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (4,836) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 02/14/2015 2:30 pm  | 
at Eastern Michigan | L 75–78 | 17–8 (8–4) | 
Convocation Center (1,101) Ypsilanti, MI  | |||||||
| 02/18/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
Toledo | L 66–68 | 17–9 (8–5) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,351) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 02/21/2015 7:30 pm  | 
Miami (OH) | L 52–57 | 17–10 (8–6) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (4,700) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 02/24/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN3  | 
at Buffalo | L 62–67 | 17–11 (8–7) | 
Alumni Arena (3,541) Buffalo, NY  | |||||||
| 02/27/2015 8:00 pm, ESPNU  | 
Ohio | W 70–58 | 18–11 (9–7) | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (3,676) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 03/03/2015 7:00 pm  | 
at Miami (OH) | L 63–70 | 18–12 (9–8) | 
Millett Hall (1,269) Oxford, OH  | |||||||
| 03/06/2015 7:00 pm, ESPN2  | 
at Kent State  PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge  | 
L 77–79 | 18–13 (9–9) | 
MAC Center (6,327) Kent, OH  | |||||||
| MAC tournament | |||||||||||
| 03/09/2015 7:00 pm  | 
Northern Illinois  First round  | 
W 76–52 | 19–13 | 
James A. Rhodes Arena (2,631) Akron, OH  | |||||||
| 03/11/2015 9:00 pm, TWCSC  | 
vs. Western Michigan  Second round  | 
W 58–45 | 20–13 | 
Quicken Loans Arena (2,411) Cleveland, OH  | |||||||
| 03/12/2015 9:00 pm, TWCSC  | 
vs. Kent State  Quarterfinals  | 
W 53–51 | 21–13 | 
Quicken Loans Arena (4,502) Cleveland, OH  | |||||||
| 03/13/2015 9:00 pm, TWCSC  | 
vs. Buffalo  Semifinals  | 
L 59–68 | 21–14 | 
Quicken Loans Arena (6,027) Cleveland, OH  | |||||||